worth
1.worth用作形容词不可单独用作表语，如不可说This is worth。This is worth five yuan和This is worth doing才是正常的英语。worth跟yuan或doing的语法关系怎样？这是一个“言人人殊”的问题，为“便利”起见，我们不妨把worth看作及物动词的现在分词，把后面的名词或动名词看作它的宾语。
2.worth后面的动名词一定属于主动语态，但意思是被动的。例如：
- This is worth doing. （不可用being done）
- The book is worth reading. （不可用being read）
- His advice is worth taking. （不可用being taken）
- The event is worth looking forward to. （不可用being looked forward to）
- I do not think the subject is worth knowing anything about. （不可用being known anything about）
下面三句都不可说：
- I think a poet is worth becoming.
- I do not think I am worth publishing my poems.
- It is worth discussing the question again.
第一句里的becoming是不及物动词的动名词，它的意思并不是被动的，所以不对，该改作I think it (is) worthwhile to become a poet。第二句里的publishing的意思也不是被动的，所以不对，该改作I do not think it (is) worthwhile for me to publish my poems或I do not think my poems are worth publishing。注意原句的意思不很明白，这两句的意思并不相同。第三句里的discussing是It的同位语，worth没有宾语，所以不对，该改作下面的任何一种表达形式：
- It is worthwhile to discuss the question again.
- The question is worth discussing again.
- It is worthwhile discussing the question again.
- To discuss the question again is worthwhile.
- Discussing the question again is worthwhile.
第四句和第五句都不很自然。
但下面两句都可以说：
- The sight is worth going to see.
- Your son is worth denying yourself for the sake of. （你的儿子值得你节衣缩食去培养他。）
不过第二句未免生硬。
Dreams that are worth dreaming are worth coming true（值得梦想的梦想是值得实现的）里的worth coming true当然是错的，不过就全句而论，错了些倒很流利，可以说“无伤大雅”。
3.worth和worthwhile前面用well，不用very。
4.下面每句里在worth后面的动名词前面都有the：
- The soil was truly worth the ploughing for the return it gave.
- Some of the suggestions are scarcely worth the making.
- Was the play really worth the acting?
用了the表示那动作已经实现。
5.偶尔worth后面接属于完成时态的动名词。例如：Soon I realized that some of the phrases I had copied into my notebook were archaisms not worth having learnt.
6.可以说It is worthwhile to discuss the question again，不可说The question is worthwhile discussing again，该把while删去。这样多用的while是英美人常有的错误。下面每组里的第一句和第二句都对，第三句不对：
- This is worth doing.
It is worthwhile to do this.
This is worthwhile doing. - His advice is worth taking.
It is worthwhile to take his advice.
His advice is worthwhile taking
但下面两句都可以说：
- It is worth remembering that all that glitters is not gold.
- It is worthwhile remembering that all that glitters is not gold.
第一句里以that引导的从句是It的同位语，第二句里remembering that all that glitters is not gold是It的同位语。
7.说“值得被某人…”不可说worth...'s ...ing或worth...ing by...，如不可说This is worth my father's doing或This is worth doing by my father，该改作下面的任何一句：
- This is worthy to be done by my father.
- It is worthwhile for my father to do this.
- It is worth my father's while to do this.
8.a yuan's worth of stamps，ten yuan's worth of oranges等表达方式里有撇号和s，但¥800 worth of...等表达方式里习惯在¥800后面不加撇号和s。
